FORT GIBSON — Tahlequah’s game plan was fairly straight-forward in its season opener against Fort Gibson on Friday night.

Put the ball in Mason McMillian’s hands and let him go to work.

Tahlequah did just that and McMillan didn’t disappoint. The senior tailback collected 194 yards and one touchdown on 33 carries, despite Tahlequah’s 40-20 setback at Leo Donahue Tiger Stadium.

When asked about McMillan after the game, Tahlequah coach Brad Gilbert simply responded with, “workhorse.”

“He’s a great young man, and he ran the ball really well for us tonight,” Gilbert said of McMillan, whose 4-yard scoring run cut Fort Gibson’s lead to 21-13 with 10:11 left in the second quarter. “He carried the load. He really did.”

As a team, Tahlequah rushed for 325 yards on 46 carries.



David’s debut

Tahlequah quarterback David Dick was a victim of circumstance in his varsity debut at quarterback. When Tahlequah was within striking range of Fort Gibson, Dick managed the game with plenty of efficiency.

However, with Tahlequah trailing throughout the entire fourth quarter, Dick attempted to force the issue and ended up tossing four interceptions.

“I’m not going to say that he didn’t [make mistakes],” Gilbert said of Dick, who was 7 of 26 for 57 yards and a touchdown through the air. “Those things are going to happen. What’s important is we learn from this.”

Dick found success when he pulled the ball down and ran with it. He needed only six carries to amass 61 rushing yards. He also scored Tahlequah’s first touchdown on a 4-yard scramble in the first quarter.



Offensive options

Other than McMillan, there were questions as to who would step up and become a solid offensive playmaker for Tahlequah.

Brandon Conrad and Tyler Eisensmith answered the call against Fort Gibson.

Conrad was limited in his impact, but showed what he can do with a 43-yard run on a double reverse in the fourth quarter. The junior wide receiver/safety had 49 rushing yards on two carries, and he also caught a one-yard pass in the game.

Eisensmith proved to be Dick’s favorite target in the passing game. The senior wide receiver caught four passes for 41 yards, including a 10-yarder from Dick to score a touchdown on the final play of the first half.

“He did some really good things,” Gilbert said of Eisensmith, who also had 15 yards rushing on two carries. “We can really expect big things from him.”



Zach attack

Zach Peterson did it all for Fort Gibson. The junior wide receiver/defensive back gave the crowd of 3,500 a jolt on the very first play of the game, when he caught J.R. Singleton’s pass over the middle of the field and ran for a 75-yard touchdown.

His impact didn’t stop there, though.

Peterson picked off two of Dick’s four interceptions, including one he returned 66 yards to Tahlequah’s 4-yard line.

“He had a phenomenal game,” Fort Gibson coach James Singleton said. “He really stepped up. He’s a first-year starter this year, and he was solid on defense. He also had some great pass blocks down in the end zone. He also caught the ball when we threw it to him.”



Recent surge

Tahlequah now owns a 4-2 advantage in the all-time series between the two Highway 62 tenants. However, Fort Gibson has enjoyed some recent success.

The two schools have now opened the season against each other since 2010, and Fort Gibson has won two of those three — both wins coming at home.

In 2010, Fort Gibson topped Tahlequah, 30-10. Then, last year, Tahlequah beat Fort Gibson 35-34 in double overtime.



Turning a corner

It took a while for Fort Gibson to find some consistent momentum during the 2011 season. The Tigers started the season 0-3 and lost five of their first six contests.

Eventually, though, Fort Gibson turned things around, winning its final three games of the regular season. That helped the Tigers earn a postseason berth, where they were quickly bounced by the eventual Class 4A champion, Wagoner.

This year appears to be different for Fort Gibson, with a solid returning core of players on both sides of the ball.

Singleton said he’s just happy to get the first win out of the way.

“Always,” he said. “That wasn’t the case last year. We went double overtime with these guys last year, and it was nice to come out — I wouldn’t say we controlled the game — but, offensively, we were consistent, as far as moving the ball.”



Gimpy Gandara

Most scouting reports on Fort Gibson probably look the same. At or near the top, it most likely says, “don’t let Jake Gandara beat us on the ground.”

Tahlequah, for most part, didn’t let that happen on Friday night. But other teams might be so lucky later on in 2012.

Gandara entered this season’s opener hobbled by some recent injuries, in addition to an illness he endured a little less than two weeks ago.

Singleton said Gandara was 100 percent heading into Fort Gibson’s matchup with Tahlequah, but Gandara was likely closer to 85 or 90 percent when the game started.

Still, the senior running back/defensive back had an impact. He rushed for 90 yards on 14 carries, and he also had an interception on defense.

And Gandara’s backfield mate, quarterback J.R. Singleton, says he can’t wait until Gandara is at full strength.

“I’m just ready for Jake to get back [to full health],” said J.R. Singleton, who rushed for 147 yards and two scores against Tahlequah. “It’s like being Batman and Robin back there.”